In a peaceful and quiet setting, Lord Peter Grimraven, Felix's right-hand man, was carefully writing down his findings from the reports he had just read. The atmosphere was filled with a sense of tranquillity as he immersed himself in his work, completely absorbed in the task at hand. However, this scene of serenity was suddenly interrupted by Felix's dramatic entrance through the window, looking like a fugitive frantically trying to escape capture.
In annoyance, Peter pointed his eyes at the door and shouted, "Just tell me why the door is there."
Felix replied, "Forget about the door and listen to me."
Peter replied after guessing the case, "If it's one of the extra jobs you're giving me so you can have fun at the night festival, just forget the whole thing."
Felix "No, it's not... Wait! Is there a festival at night?"
Peter gave his "I-knew-it stare" to Felix as he was talking about the festival.
Felix, "Ahem, I think this is not our subject... Whatever, I hide a dead body; I want you to analyse it."
Peter released a sigh, then nagged: "Felix, you always manage to find trouble, even during peaceful times like this. This is too much, man."
"Hurry up! We have no time to waste... I have already carried the body into the catacomb and covered it with a makeshift shroud,", Felix said.
Peter talked with a sceptical tone:" Why are you so secretive about the body? Don't tell me you are involved in the crime; thus, you want me to fake the death."
Felix rolled his eyes at the ridiculous conclusion and said with a serious tone, "The man was killed by the temple, and the girl that was kidnapped days ago is his daughter."
Peter interrupted, "Do you mean the commoner girl is targeted, not her father? But why are they looking for her anyway?"
Felix: "The matter is not as puzzling as it is concerning to me why the king keeps the girl in the Pearl Palace instead of helping the girl with a quick intervention and releasing her."
Peter, "It's puzzling."
Peter's eyes widened in surprise as Felix handed him the wooden box. "What's this?" he asked.
"Edward's head," Felix replied with a calm tone. "I thought you might want to analyse it too"
Peter took a deep breath and opened the box. Inside, nestled in a bed of soft cotton, was Edward's head. It was pale and lifeless, with his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open.
"OK, It's on me", Peter said
"Thanks, Peter," Felix said. "I can't do it without you."
After giving Peter the instructions and map, Felix departed from Peter's study with a determined stride. He made his way, riding his horse, through the city's winding streets, shadows lengthening as the sun dipped below the horizon. The tower, ominous and shrouded in legends of torment and despair, loomed in the distance.
As he approached the tower, The legends surrounding this place spoke of vengeful spirits, and the air felt heavy with the weight of suffering that had occurred within its walls. Felix pushed the decrepit wooden door, whose hinges groaned in protest, and a gloomy scene unfolded before him. The room, shrouded in darkness, lacked any signs of life except for a solitary figure bound to the wall, illuminated by a feeble beam of light that seeped through a narrow window obstructed by iron bars.
Felix, carrying a lantern, confidently walked towards the man's cell. The dim light from the lantern cast eerie shadows on the cold, damp walls, creating an unsettling atmosphere. With a gloating grin on his face, Felix relished his victory as he approached the man.
"It seems that the evil souls did not take revenge on you... Although you are trash, you are faithful."
The man, his voice laced with a menacing tone, responded to Felix's taunting words.
"Believe me, you are playing with fire... I have powerful allies. They won't let anything happen to me."
Felix shifted his gaze from left to right and asked, in a serious tone and with a neutral facial expression, Oh, really! Where are they?" he completed as he fished, examining the place.
"In this room, it's just you and me... It seems that they lost their way.
The man defended his position dogmatically: "You underestimate the temple's influence. I've seen them crush those who dare defy them."
Felix faked his surprise, "Crush? Oh, they're certainly good at that. But they're not here, are they?".
He suddenly changed his facial expression to look savage and added, "Listen to me, miserable temple's dog; I have no time to waste; you had better spill the truth. I've seen many like you, convinced that they're invincible because of their connections. But let me paint a different picture for you."
"Do you think the temple will keep a failed person beside them or let him hang around carrying their dirty secrets", Felix said.
The man said with a low voice full of defeat, surrendering to reality, "What do you want to know?"
"This is a good start. What about moving to the inquiry room? Shall we?", With a satisfying face, Flex talked.
The dimly lit room bore witness to his admission of guilt, and the truth began to emerge from the shadows. In the middle of the room, a sturdy wooden table stood as a barrier between Felix and the arrested man. The table was scarred with countless marks from past interrogations, the only light in the room coming from a lantern placed on top of it. The glow of the lantern delicately illuminated the chains and restraints that bound the man, while wavering shadows danced around the room.
"Now," Felix began, his voice low and authoritative, "let's start from the beginning. Why is the temple searching after Annie, the girl you kidnapped? How much do you know?"
The man hesitated for a moment, his eyes avoiding Felix's piercing gaze. But the oppressive atmosphere of the inquiry room seemed to weigh on him, and he finally spoke, his voice filled with resignation.
"Frankly, I don't know her in person; I was asked to bring a girl with certain features, and that girl was the one who fits like a glove... Many men like me were collecting taxes as an excuse to search for her."
Felix leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "Who did he give this order?"
The man continued, his words coming out in a hushed, almost reverent tone: "It's the priest, Christopher... And I'm sure he receives orders from a nobleman because he frequently writes to someone and receives letters. Furthermore, he was going out secretly to meet him. "
Felix raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Based on what you are saying, I understand that the priest is obeying a nobleman's order to accomplish personal desires... That means the nobleman is the mastermind in our puzzle."
"Yes, sir,", the man replied with an honest gaze.
Felix ran his hand through his hair and spoke after releasing a deep sigh, his scepticism evident. "I agreed to listen to the truth, not silly lies... Do you think it makes sense that a nobleman is looking for a commoner girl by obliging a priest to work for him? If you keep wasting my time, I will make you suffer more than you ever could imagine."
The man talked as he started sweating out of anxiety. "No, I'm revealing the truth."
"Then convince me", Felix said.
He leaned back in his chair and started tapping the table to urge the man to talk while thinking.
⟪ Annie is not as normal a girl as it appears; mysterious thoughts come to my mind about her. Why the hell is everybody obsessed with having her? What secrets is she hiding that makes the king himself turn his attention to her? ⟫
The man opened his mouth interrupting Felix's inner thoughts," There is a high possibility that the nobleman is foreign "
Felix paused and shifted all his attention to him," What makes you suppose that?"
The man replied, "I was asked to go to the helmsman who was sailing the next morning to Valeria Empire to deliver a letter with 100 gold coins as a reward for the service because Priest Christopher was planning to ship the girl between goods", He added: "And recently he received a letter from that nobleman in which he had inquired how things were going, which made the priest lose his temper as the king freed the girl "
"Valeria Empire," Felix mused. "That's an interesting piece of information. If they are involved, then this situation is even more dangerous than I thought."
The man nodded, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "I'm telling you the truth. I have nothing to gain by lying at this point."
Felix considered the man's words carefully. It was clear that the situation had grown more complex, with foreign powers now involved. He needed to uncover the truth behind Annie's mysterious identity and why she was so coveted.
"Very well," Felix said, his voice resolute. "I believe you for now, but you'll need to...", he brought a pen and a piece of paper out of his coat pocket, and completed "Write down all the information you revealed today, and don't forget to sign below...This is the only way I can guarantee that even the temple won't harm you"
As the man commenced penning his admission, Felix inquired of him a query.
"It seems that Edward, the girl's father, is wanted too "
The man said as he slipped his tongue," How can he be wanted? they asked me to kill him...I mean he is dead"
" Oh, really...I didn't know that", Felix said after grabbing the man's collar tightly, " I prefer to hear your interesting story of how you killed Edward, don't try to hide the smallest details...I enjoy hearing the details"